TOMORROW’S round 11 Western Border football clash between South Gambier and Casterton Sandford has more than just bragging rights on the line.
Whichever side sings the song at the end of the day will lay a solid claim to fourth spot on the premiership ladder.
The Cats currently sit inside the four, but only by percentage over the Demons.
As a result, tomorrow’s outcome will put one team a win clear of their rival.
And as both sides have won just three games for the year at this point, it may well be a deciding factor in who gears up in the post season.
Last time the sides met the Cats claimed a 24-point win over the border at Island Park, but tomorrow South has the home-ground advantage.
That match saw the Cats with a strong lead at the long break, before a revived effort from the Demons in the second half tightened things up.
Since then Casterton Sandford has improved on its early-season second-half lapses and has started to string together four quarters of football.
However, both the Cats and the Demons have still failed to prove themselves against the top three teams in the competition and tomorrow’s match will need to be a turning point for one of the
sides if they are to stand a chance at making the big dance in September.
The young brigade over at South has continued to show improvement this season under the guidance of coach Brett Exelby – who has pulled on the boots in the last three outings to provide some on-field leadership.
He is not the only experienced Demon in the side, with both Bronson Saffin and Brent Howard carrying form into the match, while Jake Tentye continues his stellar season.
Turn your attention to the rising stars of the club and Todd Reid is one of several who spring to mind.
Joined by the likes of Kaleb Bowd, Kyle Jones, Mason Hein and Colby Munro – to name a few – the future of the Demons looks bright.
They will all be out to make an impact tomorrow and continue to prove themselves in the A Grade competition.
For the Cats there are several threats which could derail South’s fight for a finals berth.
Will Macdonald looms large and has been in impressive form this year, while Dylan Ayton has been another consistent performer for the Cats.
Daniel Richardson and Tom Sullivan both represented the Murray South East in the weekend’s SA Country Championships and although the sweet taste of victory was elusive in Port Pirie, the pair will be eager to carry some form into tomorrow’s game.
Sullivan earned the best-on-ground honours in the Cats’ last hitout against North Gambier and will want to replicate that performance.
It is difficult to tip a winner for the match and it will all depend on who steps up on the day, but the Demons will hope the home-ground advantage is enough to jump a position on the ladder at the round’s end.
